CNN wrote:
A Palestinian suicide bomber blows up a bus, leaving the newly elected Israeli prime minister to puzzle over a response. A missile strike could ease security fears, or prompt more violence. A diplomatic approach might anger Israelis, leading to an assassination plot.
The complex choices facing leaders in the Middle East have long confounded political analysts and policy makers. But two graduate students at Carnegie Mellon University are hoping their video game based on the conflict will help players find solutions -- and raise capital for their new company.
But will such a game attract players and investors?
Proponents of so-called serious games, an emerging genre of interactive games that tackle real-world problems, believe so. But major video game makers, while applauding such efforts, are wary of investing in them.
[...]
Most serious games appeal to a niche market and seek to educate and train public officials, students and professionals in various fields using simulations -- technology the military has used for years.
They include "Incident Commander," a government-commissioned game being designed by BreakAway Games of Hunt Valley, Maryland, that models terrorist attacks, school hostage crises and natural disasters. Another game, "A Force More Powerful," teaches nonviolent ways of fighting dictators, military occupiers and corrupt rulers.
Deborah Tillett, BreakAway's president, said her games have sold well, but she conceded they would have to be made less realistic to sell in larger numbers. The company's success is rarely measured by units sold, she said, but by lives or budgets saved.
[...]
But games that emphasize education over entertainment often risk failure in the marketplace, said Steve Seabolt of Electronic Arts Inc. of Redwood City, California, the world's largest video game maker.
People have believed for 15 to 20 years that there is a market for serious games, "and with the exception of 'Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?' there have been precious few that have achieved commercial viability," he said, referring to the 1980s computer game that later spawned a public television show.
Some serious games focus on historical battles, but "PeaceMaker" and others deal with current events.
"Let's be realistic," Seabolt said. "Lots of people like entertainment because it takes them somewhere other than the world as it is or the life they're leading."
The complex choices facing leaders in the Middle East have long confounded political analysts and policy makers. But two graduate students at Carnegie Mellon University are hoping their video game based on the conflict will help players find solutions -- and raise capital for their new company.
But will such a game attract players and investors?
Proponents of so-called serious games, an emerging genre of interactive games that tackle real-world problems, believe so. But major video game makers, while applauding such efforts, are wary of investing in them.
[...]
Most serious games appeal to a niche market and seek to educate and train public officials, students and professionals in various fields using simulations -- technology the military has used for years.
They include "Incident Commander," a government-commissioned game being designed by BreakAway Games of Hunt Valley, Maryland, that models terrorist attacks, school hostage crises and natural disasters. Another game, "A Force More Powerful," teaches nonviolent ways of fighting dictators, military occupiers and corrupt rulers.
Deborah Tillett, BreakAway's president, said her games have sold well, but she conceded they would have to be made less realistic to sell in larger numbers. The company's success is rarely measured by units sold, she said, but by lives or budgets saved.
[...]
But games that emphasize education over entertainment often risk failure in the marketplace, said Steve Seabolt of Electronic Arts Inc. of Redwood City, California, the world's largest video game maker.
People have believed for 15 to 20 years that there is a market for serious games, "and with the exception of 'Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?' there have been precious few that have achieved commercial viability," he said, referring to the 1980s computer game that later spawned a public television show.
Some serious games focus on historical battles, but "PeaceMaker" and others deal with current events.
"Let's be realistic," Seabolt said. "Lots of people like entertainment because it takes them somewhere other than the world as it is or the life they're leading."
Perhaps it's just me, but it seems short-sighted to write off such a game as "educational". Sim-style games are usually rather popular and, as described, the game doesn't seem all that far removed from hits such as "Tropico" aside from the setting. Even with the modern and "realistic" setting, I saw many current events get spun into Civ2 mods and the like as soon as they occured. The Gulf conflicts, Bosnia, etc were all popular settings for armchair generals and diplomats.
Would you be interested in such a game? Would the setting appeal to you? Do you think the hesitancy is more a political and public relations issue than a fear that an "educational" game won't sell?
